Cole has previously insisted that she would "never" change her accent, stating: "It's part of who I am."

However, according to sources, the popstar's thick Geordie accent ultimately worked against her.

The insider commented: "When they started shooting in Chicago the contestants had
trouble understanding her and that threw the bosses into a panic.

"They had to re-shoot a few auditions because of it. Cheryl was embarrassed and apologised several times, but it quickly became a big issue - especially because no-one had any problems with Steve Jones's Welsh twang."